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Is your dog panting more than normal? Does your pup have watery eyes? If so, your four-legged friend could have caught chlamydia from bird poo.

Dog owners are being warned to be wary of taking canine companions for walks in fields heavily populated with birds. Like humans, dogs can be infected with the bacterial infection, but they're likely to acquire it from dried bird poo and bird carcasses - and not form being sexually active.

Now Iain Booth, from online pet medications and food retailer VetUK, is warning dog owners to be wary of taking their canine companions for walks in areas heavily populated with birds.

"Chlamydia in dogs has different symptoms to chlamydia in humans and it's not contracted in the same way," he explains.

"In dogs it's likely to manifest itself in the eyes, but can affect their respiratory tract too and make them pant more. They can also become lethargic. If your dogs eyes are watering or red and they're producing certain amounts of discharge, they may be infected.

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"If they're scratching or pawing at their eyes or they're panting for more air, it could be because they've come into contact with the bacteria. This bacteria is called chlamydia psittaci or psittacosis which can infect them when they come into contact with bird poo. Many birds carry it.

"One potential hazard of contact is when your dog is out running in fields heavily populated with birds putting them at a higher risk," adds Iain.

Humans can also catch chlamydia psittaci from birds, those who work with birds especially. It's also known as Parrot Fever and can be a serious threat to health if left untreated. But before you panic, the chances of catching it from your dog would be extremely rare.

"This is a different strain of chlamydia than the STD, and you cannot catch an STD from your dog," says Iain. "The chances of catching chlamydia psittaci from your dog would be extremely slim too.

"For its transmission you'd have to have the chlamydia vaporised, as in dry bird poo which turns into dust form and sticks to a dog's moist facial parts like the nose and eye. From there the disease can stick and geminate. But to catch it from your dogs wet eyes would be highly improbable so do not worry.

"Chlamydia psittaci is zootonic, meaning it can be spread from animal to human. But previous cases have been from birds to humans."

To diagnose chlamydia in your dog, Iain says your vet will looks for discharge running out of your pet's eyes.

"Luckily it's pretty straightforward to treat a dog with chlamydia," says Iain. "They can be given oral medication to fight the infection."

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He adds you can expect you're dog to be fully recovered within four to six weeks. If left untreated, however, more serious health issues can develop. According to a NHS UK Standards for Microbiology investigations report on Chlamydial Zoonotic Infections, other symptoms in dogs can also include lethargy, anorexia and diarrhoea.

Severe cases of the disease in dogs could lead to pneumonia, pericarditis (inflammation of sack around the heart) and even death.

In humans common symptoms would be flu-like, extreme cases could develop into 'endocarditis (inflammation of the heart valves), encephalitis (inflammation of the brain), pneumonia and death'.

Although dog chlamydia isn't an STI, there are still similarities to the human version.Both dogs and humans don't always show signs of carrying the infection.But they can develop into more serious problems if the infection goes undetected and untreated in dogs and humans alike.

"Yet whereas chlamydia in humans tends to affect their reproductive organs, in dogs it affects eyes and their breathing," explains Iain. "Humans catch it from bodily fluids, dogs get it from dried bird droppings.

"Fortunately Psittacosis isn't that common in the UK. According to the Health and Safety Executive website, a UK government agency responsible for health and safety in the workplace: Around 50 of Psittacosis cases are reported each year in England and Wales."

It is transmitted from birds to humans by breathing in aerosols or dust of contaminated material, eg dried faces or feathers.

"Alternatively infection may be oral, usually via infected plumage or feathers. Only brief exposure to infected material is required for infection. Psittacosis is not generally spread from person to person," adds Ian.